matlab void,MatLab engine多线程

MatLab

engine在多线程使用时，由于其本身不是线程安全的，所以需要在同一个线程里创建和使用。比如用户想要在thread1里调用engOpen创建一个MatLab Engine，然后在thread2里利用创建的Engine来调用MatLab函数，这时会出现Engine函数调用无效，即使Engine指针仍然在thread2里正确存在着。

如下：

Class CMatlabMultiThread

{

…

Protected:

Engine *m_pEngine;

//global MatLab engine

pointer

Protected:

void Main_thread();

//caller function for MatLab in main

thread

static void

*entry_new_thread(void

*Param);

//start of subthread

void MatLab_Engine_function();

//in subthread

}

//caller function for MatLab in main

thread

void CMatlabMultiThread::Main_thread()

{

pthread_t thread_id;

m_pEngine = engOpen(NULL); //open a matlab engine

if (m_pEngine ==

NULL)

{

//Error! Fail to connect to MATLAB

engine.

// The plot function will be

disabled!

printf("Fail to open MATLAB

Engine!\n");

exit(0);

}

//this function starts a new thread

and pass this pointer as parameter into the entry func

pthread_create(&thread_id, NULL,

& CMatlabMultiThread::entry_new_thread,

this);

}

//start of subthread

Void * CMatlabMultiThread:: entry_new_thread (void *Param)

{

((CMatlabMultiThread *) Param)->

MatLab_Engine_function();

}

//in subthread

void CMatlabMultiThread::MatLab_Engine_function()

{

engEvalString(m_pEngine, figure);

//through matlab engine to call matlab

function ‘figure’ to creat a new figure

window

//although the pointer m_pEngine

exists and is valid here, it can not function properly

}

如果连同对Engine的初始化都在子线程里完成，比如在MatLab_Engine_function里，那么在子线程里指令执行完后，将释放掉子线程的资源，相当于刚调用完MatLab函数，就调用engClose，这样，诸如用MatLab绘图这样的操作将一闪而过，这不是我们想要的。

然而，如果如上这样在主线程里初始化MatLab

Engine，在子线程里找到Engine指针，然后操作。这时虽然指针存在，但是实际无法进行任何操作。原因可以参加以下网址：http://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/fileexchange/349。

我的经验是：

将以上代码改为如下所示：

Class CMatlabMultiThread

{

…

Protected:

Engine *m_pEngine;

//global MatLab engine

pointer

Protected:

void Main_thread();

//caller function for MatLab in main

thread

static void

*entry_new_thread(void

*Param);

//start of subthread

void MatLab_Engine_function();//in

subthread

}

//caller function for MatLab in main

thread

void CMatlabMultiThread::Main_thread()

{

pthread_t thread_id;

int

result;

if ( m_pEngine != NULL

)

{

//in case the engine already exists, close

it

result = engClose(m_pEngine);

m_pEngine = NULL;

}

m_pEngine = engOpen(NULL); //open a matlab

engine

if (m_pEngine ==

NULL)

{

//Error! Fail to connect to MATLAB

engine.

// The plot function will be

disabled!

printf("Fail to open MATLAB

Engine!\n");

exit(0);

}

pthread_create(&thread_id, NULL,

& CMatlabMultiThread::entry_new_thread,

this);

}

//start of subthread

Void * CMatlabMultiThread:: entry_new_thread (void *Param)

{

((CMatlabMultiThread *) Param)->

MatLab_Engine_function();

}

//in subthread

void CMatlabMultiThread::MatLab_Engine_function()

{

//start a MatLab engine again, it dose

not make sense though, but works

m_pEngine =

engOpen(NULL);

if (m_pEngine ==

NULL)

{

//Error! Fail to connect to MATLAB

engine.

// The plot function will be

disabled!

printf("Fail to open MATLAB

Engine!\n");

exit(0);

}

engEvalString(m_pEngine, figure);

//through matlab engine to call matlab

function ‘figure’ to creat a new figure

window

}

即，在主线程里初始化一次MatLab Engine，然后在子线程里再初始化一次。另外，在主线程中调用engOpen之前，先调用一次engClose，这在多次调用MatLab函数中很有用。

虽然这看起来似乎说不通。在调试中可以看到，主线程里调用engOpen时，指针m_pEngine值比如是0x00d01730，此时可以看到MatLab Command Window已经打开。而在子线程里再次调用engOpen时，指针m_pEngine值会变为0x00d01740，m_pEngine值变化了，但是MatLab Command Window还是同一个。然后在函数MatLab_Engine_function中执行

engEvalString(m_pEngine, figure);

创建出一个MatLab绘图窗口。到子线程执行结束后，MatLab绘图窗口和MatLab Command Window都仍然存在。等再次调用主线程Main_thread执行

result = engClose(m_pEngine);

之前可以看到，m_pEngine值仍为0x00d01740，执行之后，返回值result为1，即关闭MatLab

Engine失败，但是MatLab

Command Window和MatLab绘图窗口却都正确的被关闭了，执行engClose(m_pEngine)后，m_pEngine值仍然为0x00d01740，所以为了以后不出现bug，设置为NULL。

看似不应该出现的情况，出现了，而且经严格测试，工作良好。那么，说明这么做一定是有道理的。所以，可以作为MatLab在多线程应用中的一种标准模式。当然，如果谁有更深刻的理解，或更有道理的作法，欢迎致信skpsun@163.com，或直接在日志下面留言。